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The Sacramento Kings didn't search very long or far to find a new head coach. Less than two hours after news of Sacramento dismissing Luke Walton first made the rounds on Sunday, reports emerged that the team has named current assistant Alvin Gentry as interim coach.
Kings have tabbed Alvin Gentry as the next coach, source tells @TheAthletic
— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) November 21, 2021
Gentry, one of the longest-tenured coaches in the NBA, joined the Kings as associated head coach in October 2020. Sacramento is slated to pay Walton the remainder of his contract through the end of the 2022-23 season, a total that comes to over $11 million.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Gentry's new deal with the team not only includes a raise, but performance incentives that could allow him to retain the job on a permanent basis going forward.
Sources: Alvin Gentry will become the Kings’ interim coach. Gentry is already under contract through 2022-2023, gets a raise to take interim job and agreement on some benchmarks of success rest of this season with team to try and keep job longer.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 21, 2021
Gentry, 67, was most recently a head coach with the New Orleans Pelicans. He was 175-225 over five seasons in New Orleans from 2015-16 to 2019-20, coaching both Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson. gentry famously succeeded Mike D'Antoni as head coach of the Phoenix Suns in the late 2000s, guiding Steve Nash, Amar'e Stoudemire and company to the 2010 Western Conference Finals. His first head-coaching gig in the NBA came on an interim basis with the Miami Heat all the way back in 1995.
The Kings, levied with an unofficial mandate from ownership of competing for the playoffs, are 6-11 one month into the regular season, alone at 12th in the Western Conference.
